They breed them tough in the tropics, or so it would seem.
Audy Geiszler, of Audy Geiszler Pest Control in Bowen, services far and wide: Airlie Beach, Emerald, Mackay, Sarina and Twonsville and the Whitsundays.
It was a case of Audy almost going missing when he heard hissing, when he recently found brown tree snakes using a rodent bait box for a cosy morning snooze.
What appears, on the surface at least, to be a massive career change has led to pest management work in far-flung areas of South Australia for Chris Coote
Chris and his wife Amanda own-and-operate Flyman SA Pest & Termite Management – a far cry from his former 27-year career in newspapers, including as managing editor of the ‘Port Lincoln Times.’
It isn’t too far though from Chris’ time in the building industry before his media stint.
Port Lincoln is the only place in Australia to cage dive with great white sharks, and for nine months after he left the ‘Times,’ Chris worked at Calypso Star Charters, the dominant shark cage diving company, as Office Manager.
Prominent New Zealand pest control services professional, Gary Clark, doesn’t need to be told twice to on his skates in pursuit of pesky pests
After all, Gary is one of New Zealand’s best-known speed skaters, who, with his partner Krystine Davies, has taken all before them in that particular field.
A member of the Pest Management Association of New Zealand, Gary conducts the Wanganui-based operation GARYZ Services Limited, which is now in its 26th year of operation.
With a moderate, temperate climate, Wanganui is growing slowly, as far as population is concerned, and skites a strong industry base as well as a fertile, prosperous farming hinterland and a river as a beating heart.
Many businesses are family affairs and Brisbane’s Checkmate Pest Control is no different.
The on-ground activities are the province of Luke Tysoe, whose wife, Sue-Ann, is responsible for the seemingly thousand-and-one things to do with the administration and marketing of the business.
It works so well for the husband-and-wife team that Checkmate was only last June named Australian Pest Manager of the Year in the Micro Business category, with the award sponsored at the AEPMA Function by BASF.
Luke, a veteran of 22 years in the pest control industry, started Checkmate in 2014, with the full support of Sue-Ann
Captain James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770 at a place we now know as Cooktown, named in his honour, in North Queensland.
Cooktown is rich in biodiversity, being close to three major ecocentres, with a large proportion of 3000 plant species more than 500 terrestrial vertebrates, with many being rare and unusual species.
Oh, did we mention snakes?
The popular tourist destination with a tropical climate which plays host to numerous heritage-listed sites, is crawling with slippery types, such as:-
Mount Isa is getting to be as well-known as the home of Warren Burke’s car as are the mines there!
The mines have been in the Isa for just two years short of a century, while Warren’s vehicle has been there for just four years.
Townsville-born Warren – known to many family members as Wally – moved to the Mount five years ago before buying his pride-and-joy, an Australian XY Ford, a year later.
“I saw the car sitting in someone’s front yard, and couldn’t drive any further without seeing if it was for sale,” he said.
It’s a busy work and ‘play’ life for Central Queensland couple Jeff and Bec Smith, who conduct J&B Pest Control in Mackay.
The Smiths, with Josh Crang from Gympie as their driver, race an FG Falcon in the modified sedans class on a dirt speedway oval, campaigning mostly in southern Queensland, with hopes of travelling to Victoria in 2022 for the Australian title.
North Queensland pest control professional Aaron Bonney, like most industry members, has come across some hair-raising situations in his time in business.
Recently, however, one such instance threatened to blow up in his face – literally!
Aaron, who conducts POD’s Pest Control, headquartered in the Townsville suburb of Garbutt, had thought he had seen it all.
“But all of a sudden I realised I just about hadn’t seen anything!” he said.
POD’s not only almost blew up staff members, but a Government building to boot!